Telford College construction students are working on a real-life house renovation project which will be regularly opening its doors to the public.

Marches Energy Agency, a fuel poverty and decarbonisation charity based in Shrewsbury, is leading the project in partnership with The Wrekin Housing Group and the college, with support of Telford and Wrekin Council.

Students from Telford College will be working with staff, expert contractors, and The Wrekin Housing Group to transform a vacant property into a dream home fit for the future.

The home, in Arleston, Wellington, will be a hands-on learning facility for the students and others involved in the project to learn not just traditional building skills, but key skills for retrofit.

Retrofit is the process where improvements are made to homes to make them more energy efficient, adding insulation and cutting out draughts, as well as installing green tech such as solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.

These skills are currently in short supply – but are vital for making homes cheaper to run, healthier and cutting down on carbon emissions.

Marcus Ayling of Marches Energy Agency (MEA) said: “We’re really excited about the project, it’s such a great opportunity for really valuable learning. Not just for the Telford College students, but for all our partners in the project, for our wonderful sponsors, and for the public at large.

“We’ll be doing regular open days because I’m sure people will be interested to see the progress we’re making as we transform this home from its current condition to a lovely, cosy, low-carbon home. We’ll be doing videos and webinars so if anyone struggles to get to Wellington, they can still follow our journey.

“There’s a vast amount of work to do to our housing stock in the UK. We have some of the oldest, draughtiest and dampest homes in Europe. But with a well-trained workforce with the right skills and experience, every home can be cosy, healthy, and cheap and green to run.

“A huge vote of thanks to The Wrekin Housing Group, for making the property available – obviously the project wouldn’t be possible without their generous support. And our thanks to the Energy Saving Trust for funding us.”

Dave Hall, Group Head of Property at The Wrekin Housing Group said: “We’re delighted to be part of this brilliant project aimed at enhancing home energy efficiency and comfort.

“At Wrekin we are actively training heating engineers to install air source heat pumps, solar panels and insulation and we’re eager to continue learning with MEA’s experts.

“We plan to educate staff and tenants through visits to this home to showcase new green technologies, aiming to equip everyone with the knowledge and confidence to future-proof all homes as we progress the journey to Net Zero by 2050.”